On Saturday, social media was abuzz with a video depicting a massive landfill on fire along the road leading to Alcides Pino, a vital entryway to the city of Holguín. The scene was so dramatic that residents likened it to images of war-torn regions.
Arturo Pablo Sánchez Zaldívar, who posted the 18-second clip on Facebook, remarked, "This isn't Afghanistan, Ukraine, Haiti, or some African nation... This is the access road to Alcides Pino, a place once known for its picturesque views in Holguín."
Local residents expressed their frustration and sorrow over the city's decline from its former status as one of Cuba's cleanest cities.
"My God, I have no words. Our beautiful province of Holguín, always praised for its cleanliness, is in a dire state," lamented one resident.
Another, more bluntly, stated, "I'm speechless. I never imagined we'd live to see this. There's a pervasive sadness, empty parks, and elderly folks waiting for death with neither food nor hope."
A resident living near the burning dump confirmed, "That's right in front of my house."
One comment highlighted that the issue extends beyond Alcides Pino: "This isn't isolated to one area; it's happening throughout the city."
Another citizen sarcastically noted, "It's Cuba, and this is what the enlightened ones boast as 67 years of prosperity and well-being for revolutionaries."
Since April, complaints have surfaced about landfills burning nightly in various neighborhoods across the "City of Parks," where materials like plastics, LED tubes, food scraps, decaying animals, and expired medication containers are being incinerated.
In June, Radio Angulo, a provincial station, disclosed that Holguín had transformed from "one of Cuba's cleanest cities into a landfill," with growing mounds of waste encroaching on sidewalks and creating a constant pollution hazard.
The Communal Services Company has cited shortages of trucks, spare parts, fuel, and labor without offering any tangible solutions.
With no regular garbage collection, residents resort to burning accumulated waste, releasing smoke laden with dioxins, furans, and carbon monoxide, exacerbating respiratory illnesses in an already burdened population.
The waste buildup also encourages the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. In October and November of 2025, Holguín reported dengue and chikungunya cases across almost all its 14 municipalities, with garbage cited as a key factor.
Improvised dumps have taken over playgrounds, sports areas, riverbeds, and central roads. The children's park Los Caballitos has become a sprawling landfill.
The deterioration has been documented for years. Since March 2020, there have been reports of garbage accumulation in the Zayas district, and by 2022, at least five dumpsites were recorded within four blocks along the Gibara road.
The issue is systemic and acknowledged by the regime itself. In late 2025, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero conceded the institutional failure to address Cuba's garbage collection crisis, but this admission has yet to lead to any resolution.
Understanding the Crisis in Holguín
What has caused the garbage crisis in Holguín?
The garbage crisis in Holguín is attributed to systemic issues within the waste management infrastructure, including shortages of trucks, spare parts, fuel, and labor, coupled with ineffective government responses.
How is the burning of garbage affecting residents?
Burning garbage releases harmful toxins such as dioxins, furans, and carbon monoxide, which aggravate respiratory diseases among the local population.
What health issues have arisen due to the waste problem?
The waste problem has led to increased breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, causing a rise in dengue and chikungunya cases, and respiratory issues due to toxic smoke.